U.S. patent application number 13/126672 was filed with the patent office on 2011-10-27 for auction method and system using bids depending on clicks or views and period, advertising method and system, and charging method and system.
This patent application is currently assigned to NHN BUSINESS PLATFORM CORP.. Invention is credited to Young Nahn Baek, Jae Hyun Han, Choong Hee Lee, Joongoo Lee, Choong Hyun Nam, Ju Young Yang.
Application Number | 20110264535 13/126672 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42153035 |
Filed Date | 2011-10-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110264535 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lee; Choong Hee ; et
al. |
October 27, 2011 |
AUCTION METHOD AND SYSTEM USING BIDS DEPENDING ON CLICKS OR VIEWS
AND PERIOD, ADVERTISING METHOD AND SYSTEM, AND CHARGING METHOD AND
SYSTEM
Abstract
Disclosed are an auction method and system, an advertising
method and system, and a charging method and system, based on bid
prices depending on clicks or exposures, and a time period. The
advertising method may include verifying an advertisement exposure
priority determined with respect to an advertisement of an
advertiser, based on a bid price per click (or a bid price per
exposure), and a period-based bid price which may be input from the
advertiser, and exposing the advertisement of the advertiser during
a time period corresponding to the period-based bid price, through
an advertisement exposure region depending on the verified
advertisement exposure priority, wherein an advertising fee
depending on the exposure of the advertisement may be calculated
based on the bid price per click (or the bid price per exposure), a
number of clicks (or a number of exposures) which may actually
occur with respect to the advertisement during the time period, and
the period-based bid price.
Inventors: |
Lee; Choong Hee;
(Seongnam-si, KR) ; Lee; Joongoo; (Seongnam-si,
KR) ; Baek; Young Nahn; (Seongnam-si, KR) ;
Yang; Ju Young; (Seongnam-si, KR) ; Han; Jae
Hyun; (Seongnam-si, KR) ; Nam; Choong Hyun;
(Seongnam-si, KR) |
Assignee: |
NHN BUSINESS PLATFORM CORP.
Seongnam-si
KR
|
Family ID: |
42153035 |
Appl. No.: |
13/126672 |
Filed: |
March 23, 2009 |
PCT Filed: |
March 23, 2009 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/KR2009/001476 |
371 Date: |
July 14, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/14.68 ;
705/14.69 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/02 20130101;
G06Q 30/08 20130101; G06Q 30/0273 20130101; G06Q 30/0272
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/14.68 ;
705/14.69 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/00 20060101
G06Q030/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 4, 2008 |
KR |
10-2008-0108837 |
Claims
1. An advertising method comprising: assigning an advertisement
exposure priority to an advertisement of an advertiser, based on a
bid price per click or display and a period-based bid price, which
are received from the advertiser; and displaying the advertisement
during a time period corresponding to the period-based bid price,
in an advertisement exposure region of a web page, the
advertisement exposure region corresponding to the assigned
advertisement exposure priority, wherein an advertising fee of the
advertisement is calculated based on the bid price per click or
display, a number of times the advertisement is clicked on or
displayed during the time period, and the period-based bid
price.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein: the web page comprises a
plurality of the advertisement exposure regions that correspond to
different advertisement exposure priorities; and when the bid price
per click or display and the period-based bid price produce the
highest advertising fee, the advertisement is displayed in an
uppermost position of the advertisement exposure region.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertising fee is calculated
based on a specific fee per click or display that is determined
based on the bid price per click or display, the number of clicks
or displays, a period-based flat rate fee based on the period-based
bid price, and a weight for each of the fees input by the
advertiser.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the weight for each fee comprises
a ratio between the specific fee per click or display and the
period-based flat rate fee.
5. An auction method, comprising: receiving a bid price per click
or display and a period-based bid price from at least one
advertiser; and assigning an advertisement exposure priority to an
advertisement of the advertiser, based on the bid price per click
or display and the period-based bid price, wherein the
advertisement exposure priority determines the relative location
the advertisement is displayed in an advertisement exposure region
of a web page, and an advertising fee of the advertisement-is
calculated based on the bid price per click or display, the
period-based bid price, and an actual number of clicks on or
displays of the advertisement during a time period corresponding to
the period-based bid price.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein: the advertisement is displayed
in the advertisement exposure region during the time period
corresponding to the period-based bid price; and the assigning
comprises assigning a highest exposure priority to the
advertisement, such that the advertisement is displayed in an
uppermost position of the advertisement exposure region of the web
page, when the bid price per click or display and the period-based
bid price generate the highest advertising fee for a given time
period and number of clicks or displays.
7. The method of claim 5, wherein the advertising fee is calculated
based on a specific fee per click or display based on the bid price
per click or display, the actual number of clicks or displays, a
period-based flat rate fee based on the period-based bid price, and
a weight for each fee determined by the advertiser.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the weight for each fee comprises
a ratio between the specific fee per click or display and the
period-based flat rate fee.
9. A charging method, comprising: receiving a bid price per click
or display and a period-based bid price of an advertisement
displayed in an advertisement exposure region; determining an
actual number of clicks or displays of the advertisement during a
time period corresponding to the period-based bid price; and
calculating an advertising fee of the advertisement, based on the
bid price per click or display, the number of clicks or displays,
and the period-based bid price.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein: the advertisement is displayed
in an advertisement exposure region corresponding to an
advertisement exposure priority that is based on the bid price per
click or display and the period-based bid price; and the
advertisement exposure priority is determined such that an
advertisement corresponding to a bid price per click or display and
a period-based bid price that generate the highest advertising fee
are assigned the highest exposure priority, the highest exposure
priority corresponding to an advertisement exposure region of the
web page that is most likely to be viewed.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein the calculating comprises
calculating the advertising fee based on a specific fee per click
or display that is based on the bid price per click or display and
the number of clicks or displays, a period-based flat rate fee
determined based on the period-based bid price, and a weight for
each fee input by the advertiser.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the weight for each fee
comprises a ratio of the specific fee per click or display and the
period-based flat rate fee.
13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a program
for instructing a computer to perform the method claim 1.
14. An advertising system, comprising: an advertisement exposure
priority verification unit to determine an advertisement exposure
priority of an advertisement of an advertiser, based on a bid price
per click or display and a period-based bid price, which are input
by the advertiser; and an advertisement exposure unit to display
the advertisement during a time period corresponding to the
period-based bid price, in an advertisement exposure region of a
web page, the exposure region corresponding to the advertisement
exposure priority, wherein an advertising fee of the advertisement
is calculated based on the bid price per click or display, an
actual number of clicks on or displays of the advertisement during
the time period, and the period-based bid price.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein: the advertisement exposure
priority corresponds to an advertisement exposure region an
advertisement is displayed in, among a plurality of advertisement
exposure regions of a web page; and when the bid price per click or
display and the period-based bid price produce the highest
advertising fee, the advertisement is displayed in an uppermost
position of the advertisement exposure.
16. The system of claim 14, wherein the advertising fee is
calculated based on a specific fee per click or display determined
based on the bid price per click or display and the number of
clicks or displays, a period-based flat rate fee based on the
period-based bid price, and a weight for each fee input by the
advertiser.
17. An auction system, comprising: a bid price verification unit to
receive a bid price per click or display and a period-based bid
price input from at least one advertiser; and an advertisement
exposure priority determination unit to determine an advertisement
exposure priority of an advertisement of the advertiser, based on
the bid price per click or display and the period-based bid price,
wherein the advertisement exposure priority corresponds to an
advertisement exposure region in which the advertisement will be
displayed, and an advertising fee of the advertisement is
calculated based on the bid price per click or display, the
period-based bid price, and an actual number of clicks on or
displays of the advertisement during a time period corresponding to
the period-based bid price.
18. The system of claim 17, wherein the advertisement is displayed
in the advertisement exposure region during the time period
corresponding to the period-based bid price, and the advertisement
exposure priority determination unit determines the advertisement
exposure priority, such that an advertisement corresponding to a
bid price per click or display and a period-based bid price that
generate the highest advertising fee are assigned the highest
exposure priority, the highest exposure priority corresponding to
an to advertisement exposure region of the web page that is most
likely to be viewed.
19. The system of claim 17, wherein the advertising fee is
calculated based on a specific fee per click or display that is
based on the bid price per click or display and the number of
clicks or displays, a period-based flat rate fee determined based
on the period-based bid price, and a weight for each fee input by
the advertiser.
20. A charging system, comprising: a bid price verification unit to
receive a bid price per click or display and a period-based bid
price of an advertisement displayed in an advertisement exposure
region of a web page; a number of clicks or displays verification
unit to determine an actual number of clicks on or displays of the
advertisement that occur during a time period corresponding to the
period-based bid price; and an advertising fee calculation unit to
calculate an advertising fee of the advertisement, based on the bid
price per click or display, the number of clicks or displays, and
the period-based bid price.
21. The system of claim 20, wherein the advertisement is displayed
in an advertisement exposure region corresponding to an
advertisement exposure priority that is based on the bid price per
click or display and the period-based bid price; and the
advertisement exposure priority is determined such that an
advertisement corresponding to a bid price per click or display and
a period-based bid price that generate the highest advertising fee
are assigned the highest exposure priority, the highest exposure
priority corresponding to an advertisement exposure region of the
web page that is most likely to be viewed.
22. The system of claim 20, wherein the calculating comprises
calculating the advertising fee based on a specific fee per click
or display that is based on the bid price per click or display and
the number of clicks or displays, a period-based flat rate fee
determined based on the period-based bid price, and a weight for
each fee input by the advertiser.
Description
[0001] This application is the National Stage Entry of
International Application PCT/KR2009/001476, filed on Mar. 23,
2009, and claims priority from and the benefit of Korean Patent
Application No. 10-2008-0108837, filed on Nov. 4, 2008, both of
which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes as if
fully set forth herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to an
auction method and system, an advertising method and system, and a
charging method and system, based on bid prices that depend on
clicks or exposures, and a time period.
[0004] 2. Discussion of the Background
[0005] Internet advertising enables enterprises to contact a great
number of consumers at a low cost and immediately recognize
reactions of customers to an advertisement using merits of the
Internet. Among the Internet advertising methods, keyword
advertising refers to an advertising method that displays an
advertisement of a relevant enterprise on a screen as a search
result, upon input of a search term. For example, when a user
inputs a search term related to `moving`, advertisements related to
`pack moving`, `moving center`, and the like may be exposed as a
result of the search. Thus, since advertisements are displayed to
those interested in particular goods or services, the advertising
effect will be high.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide an
auction method and system that may determine an advertisement
exposure (display) priority, based on a bid price per click (or a
bid price per exposure), and based on a period-based bid price,
which may be input by advertisers, so as to be guaranteed a
position where an advertisement may be displayed during a
predetermined time period.
[0007] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention also provide
an advertising method and system that may display an advertisement
of a corresponding advertiser in an advertisement exposure region
corresponding to the advertisement exposure priority determined
based on the bid price per click (or the bid price per exposure),
and the period-based bid price, among a plurality of advertisement
exposure regions included in a web page.
[0008] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention also provide
a charging method and system that may calculate an advertising fee
based on the bid price per click (or the bid price per exposure),
the period-based bid price, and a number of clicks (or a number of
exposures) which may actually occur during a time period
corresponding to the period-based bid price.
[0009] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention discloses
an advertising method including determining an advertisement
exposure priority of an advertisement of an advertiser, based on a
bid price per click (or a bid price per exposure), and a
period-based bid price which may be input from the advertiser, and
displaying the advertisement during a time period corresponding to
the period-based bid price, in an advertisement exposure region,
depending on the verified advertisement exposure priority. An
advertising fee depending on the exposure of the advertisement may
be calculated based on the bid price per click (or the bid price
per exposure), a number of clicks (or a number of exposures) which
may actually occur with respect to the advertisement during the
time period, and the period-based bid price.
[0010] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention also
discloses an advertising system, including an advertisement
exposure priority verification unit to determine an advertisement
exposure priority an advertisement of an advertiser, based on a bid
price per click (or a bid price per exposure), and a period-based
bid price, which may be input from the advertiser, and an
advertisement exposure unit to display the advertisement during a
time period corresponding to the period-based bid price, in an
advertisement exposure region, depending on the advertisement
exposure priority. An advertising fee depending on the exposure of
the advertisement may be calculated based on the bid price per
click (or the bid price per exposure), a number of clicks (or a
number of exposures) that actually occur with respect to the
advertisement during the time period, and the period-based bid
price.
[0011] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention also
discloses an auction method, including receiving a bid price per
click (or a bid price per exposure), and a period-based bid price,
which may be input from at least one advertiser, and determining an
advertisement exposure priority with respect to an advertisement of
the advertiser, based on the bid price per click (or the bid price
per exposure) and the period-based bid price. The advertisement may
be displayed in an advertisement exposure region, depending on the
advertisement exposure priority. An advertising fee of the
advertisement may be calculated based on the bid price per click
(or the bid price per exposure), the period-based bid price, and an
actual number of clicks on (or a number of exposures) the
advertisement that occur during a time period corresponding to the
period-based bid price.
[0012] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention also
discloses an auction system, including a bid price verification
unit to receive a bid price per click (or a bid price per exposure)
and a period-based bid price input from at least one advertiser,
and an advertisement exposure priority determination unit to
determine an advertisement exposure priority with respect to an
advertisement, based on the bid price per click (or the bid price
per exposure), and the period-based bid price. The advertisement
may be displayed in an advertisement exposure region corresponding
to the advertisement exposure priority, and an advertising fee may
be calculated based on the bid price per click (or the bid price
per exposure), the period-based bid price, and a number of clicks
(or a number of exposures) that occur with respect to the
advertisement, during a time period corresponding to the
period-based bid price.
[0013] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention also
discloses a charging method, including receiving a bid price per
click (or a bid price per exposure), and a period-based bid price
of an advertisement displayed in an advertisement exposure region,
determining an actual number of clicks on or displays of the
advertisement that occur during a time period corresponding to the
period-based bid price, and calculating an advertising fee
depending on the exposure of the advertisement, based on the bid
price per click (or the bid price per exposure), the number of
clicks (or the number of exposures), and the period-based bid
price.
[0014] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention also
discloses a charging system, including a bid price verification
unit to receive a bid price per click (or a bid price per
exposure), and a period-based bid price of an advertisement
displayed in an advertisement exposure region, a number of clicks
(number of exposures) verification unit to determine an actual
number of clicks on or displays or to the advertisement that occur
during a time period corresponding to the period-based bid price,
and an advertising fee calculation unit to calculate an advertising
fee of the advertisement, based on the bid price per click (or the
bid price per exposure), the number of clicks (or the number of
exposures), and the period-based bid price.
[0015] According to various embodiments of the present invention,
advertising fee variations, which may occur according to variations
in a number of clicks (or a number of displays) may be reduced, by
determining an advertisement exposure priority through an auction,
using a bid price per click (or a bid price per exposure) and a
period-based bid price, and by calculating an advertising fee of an
advertisement displayed in an advertisement exposure region
corresponding to the advertisement exposure priority, based on both
the bid price per click (or the bid price per exposure), and the
period-based bid price.
[0016] According to embodiments of the present invention, various
charging policies which may satisfy a request of an advertiser, by
adjusting a ratio between a period-based flat rate fee determined
based on the period-based bid price, and a weight for each fee
determined by the advertiser, and a specific fee per click (or a
specific fee per exposure) determined based on the bid price per
click (or the bid price per exposure) and based on the number of
clicks (or the number of exposures).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a general configuration of
an auction system, an advertising system, and a charging system,
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an auction method,
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an
auction system, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention.
[0020] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an advertising method,
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an
advertising system, according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention.
[0022] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a charging method,
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a
charging system, according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention.
[0024] FIG. 8 is an example of a table including information
regarding a relationship among a bid price per click, a
period-based bid price, a number of clicks, and an advertising
fee.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS
[0025] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a general configuration of
an auction system 101, an advertising system 102, and a charging
system 103, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention. Each of the auction system 101, the advertising system
102, and the charging system 103 may be separate systems, or two or
more of the systems may be combined. For example, the auction
system 101, the advertising system 102, and the charging system 103
may be included in a single system, or only the auction system 101
may be separated, and operated in conjunction with a system
including the advertising system 102, and the charging system
103.
[0026] The auction system 101 may receive, from an advertiser, a
bid price per click, and a period-based bid price, through an
advertiser page. An auction page 120 that may be used for
conducting an auction with respect to an advertisement may also
determine an advertisement exposure (display) priority, based on
both the bid price per click, and the period-based bid price.
[0027] The advertising system 102 may display an advertisement
through an advertisement exposure region according to the
advertisement exposure priority, determined through the auction
system 101. For example, the advertising system 102 may display an
advertisement having a fifth advertisement exposure priority in a
fifth advertisement exposure region 132, among a plurality of
advertisement exposure regions included in an advertising region
131 of a web page 130. In this instance, the advertising system 102
may display the advertisement by displaying a link to a document
corresponding to the advertisement in the fifth advertisement
exposure region 132, and by providing a user with the document,
when the user clicks the link while browsing the web page 130.
[0028] The charging system 103 may calculate an advertising fee
depending on the exposure of the advertisement. In this instance,
the charging system 103 may calculate the advertising fee based on
the bid price per click and the period-based bid price, thereby
reducing uncertainty which may occur due to a variation in a number
of clicks, and also calculating the advertising fee depending on an
advertising effect.
[0029] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an auction method
according to an embodiment of the present invention. The auction
method may be performed through the auction system 101, which has
been described with reference to FIG. 1. In FIG. 2, the auction
method will be described by describing a process of performing each
operation by the auction system 101.
[0030] In operation S201, the auction system 101 may verify a bid
price per click and a period-based bid price, which may be input
from at least one advertiser. Here, the bid price per click and the
period-based bid price may correspond to a bid price input by the
advertiser so as to be guaranteed a position where an advertisement
may be displayed during a predetermined time period, in an auction
with respect to the position where the advertisement may be
exposed. Whether the advertiser may successfully bid for the
position may be determined based on both the bid price per click
and the period-based bid price.
[0031] In operation S202, the auction system 101 may determine an
advertisement exposure priority of the advertiser's advertisement,
based on the bid price per click and the period-based bid price.
The advertisement exposure priority may correspond to an
advertisement exposure region. A plurality of advertisement
exposure regions may be included on a single web page. The
advertisement may be displayed at an advertisement exposure region
during a time period corresponding to the period-based bid price.
In this instance, the auction system 101 may determine the
advertisement exposure priority corresponding to a position the
advertisement is displayed in the exposure region of the web page.
For example, a higher exposure priority may relate to a higher
position in the exposure region, which may generate a higher
advertising fee, with respect to an equal time period and an equal
number of clicks.
[0032] For example, the auction system 101 may calculate a final
bid price by adding up a fee per click calculated by applying an
equal number of clicks to the verified bid price per click, and a
period-based flat rate fee verified during an equal time period
with respect to the verified period-based bid price. Then, the
auction system may apply the highest advertisement exposure
priority to an advertisement of an advertiser who submits the
highest final bid price. The advertisement having the highest
advertisement exposure priority may be displayed in the uppermost
position of the advertisement exposure region of the web page. Any
suitable form of auction may be used for determining the bid price
the successful bid.
[0033] When the advertisement exposure priority of the
advertisement is determined, the advertisement may be displayed in
the advertisement exposure region corresponding to the
advertisement exposure priority. An advertising fee depending on
the exposure of the advertisement may be calculated based on the
bid price per click and the period-based bid price, and based on a
number of clicks on the advertisement during a time period
corresponding to the period-based bid price. That is, the
advertising fee may be calculated based on both the bid price per
click and the period-based bid price, thereby reducing uncertainty
that may occur according to variation in click numbers.
[0034] The advertising fee may be calculated based on: a specific
fee per click based on the bid price per click and the number of
clicks; a period-based flat rate fee based on the period-based bid
price; and a weight for each fee determined by the advertiser.
Here, the weight for each fee may include at least one of a ratio
used to reflect the specific fee per click in the advertising fee,
and a ratio used to reflect the period-based flat rate fee in the
advertising fee. That is, various charging policies, which may
satisfy a request of an advertiser, may be implemented, by
calculating the advertising fee based on a ratio between the
period-based flat rate fee and the specific fee per click. For
example, a calculation of an advertising fee satisfying requests of
advertisers who desire to have different percentages of an
advertising fee relate to a predetermined time period and a number
of clicks. That is, an advertising effect, may be possible by
determining, by an administrator system, a weight for each fee with
respect to the period-based flat rate fee, and a weight for each
fee with respect to the specific fee per click, according to the
requests of the advertisers, and by adjusting portions of the fees
corresponding to the period-based flat rate fee and the specific
fee per click in the entire advertising fee. The administrator
system may refer to a system including at least one of the auction
system 101, the advertising system 102, and the charging system
103, or a system including at least two of the three systems.
[0035] The exposure of the advertisement and the calculation of the
advertising fee may be performed by the advertising system 102 and
the charging system 103, which have been described with reference
to FIG. 1. That is, operations S203 and S204 displayed in dotted
line boxes in FIG. 2 may be operations that may be performed after
the advertisement exposure priority is determined, and may be
performed by the advertising system 102 and the charging system
103, respectively.
[0036] In operation S203, the advertising system 102 may verify an
advertisement exposure priority with respect to an advertisement of
an advertiser, based on a bid price per click, and a period-based
bid price input from the advertiser. The advertising system 102 may
display the advertisement during a time period corresponding to the
period-based bid price, in an advertisement exposure region,
depending on the verified advertisement exposure priority.
[0037] In operation S204, the charging system 103 may verify a bid
price per click, and a period-based bid price of an advertisement
displayed in an advertisement exposure region. The charging system
103 may verify a number of clicks that actually occur during a time
period corresponding to the period-based bid price, and may
calculate an advertising fee depending on the exposure of the
advertisement, based on the bid price per click, the number of
clicks, and the period-based bid price. An advertising method and a
charging method similar to Operations S203 and S204 will be further
described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 6.
[0038] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the
auction system 101, according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention. The auction system 101 may include a bid price
verification unit 301 and an advertisement exposure priority
determination unit 302, as illustrated in FIG. 3.
[0039] The bid price verification unit 301 may verify a bid price
per click, and a period-based bid price input from at least one
advertiser. Here, the bid price per click and the period-based bid
price may correspond to a bid price input by the advertiser during
an auction, so as to be guaranteed a position where an
advertisement may be displayed during a predetermined time period.
Whether the advertiser's bid is successful may be based on both the
bid price per click and the period-based bid price.
[0040] The advertisement exposure priority determination unit 302
may determine an advertisement exposure priority of an
advertisement of the advertiser, based on the bid price per click,
and the period-based bid price. The advertisement exposure priority
may correspond to an advertisement exposure region. The
advertisement may be displayed in the advertisement exposure region
during a time period corresponding to the period-based bid price.
The advertisement exposure priority determination unit 302 may
assign the highest advertisement exposure priority to an
advertisement of an advertiser who inputs a bid price per click and
a period-based bid price that generates the highest advertising
fee, with respect to a given time period and number of clicks.
[0041] For example, the advertisement exposure priority
determination unit 302 may calculate a final bid price by adding a
specific fee per click calculated by applying an equal number of
clicks to the verified bid price per click to a period-based flat
rate fee verified during an equal time period as the verified
period-based bid price. Then, the advertisement exposure priority
determination unit 302 may apply the highest advertisement exposure
priority to the advertisement of an advertiser that inputs the
highest final bid price. The advertisement having the highest
advertisement exposure priority may be displayed at the uppermost
position of the advertisement exposure region of the web page. Any
suitable type of auction may be used to determine the final bid
price.
[0042] Once the advertisement exposure priority is determined, the
corresponding advertisement may be displayed in the advertisement
exposure region corresponding to the advertisement exposure
priority, and an advertising fee may be calculated based on the bid
price per click and the period-based bid price, and based on an
actual number of clicks on the advertisement, during a time period
corresponding to the period-based bid price. That is, the
advertising fee may be calculated based on both the bid price per
click and the period-based bid price, thereby reducing uncertainty
due to variations in the a number of clicks.
[0043] The advertising fee may be calculated based on: a specific
fee per click determined based on the bid price per click and the
number of clicks; a period-based flat rate fee determined based on
the period-based bid price; and a weight for each fee determined by
the advertiser. The advertising fee may be calculated based on a
ratio between the period-based flat rate fee and the specific fee
per click. For example, a calculation of an advertising fee
satisfying requests of advertisers who may desire to increase a
portion of a fee with respect to a time period, and advertisers who
may desire to increase a portion of the fee depending on a number
of clicks. That is, an advertising effect may be possible by
determining, using an administrator system, a weight for the
period-based flat rate fee, and a weight for the specific fee per
click, according to the requests of the advertisers, and by
adjusting portions of the fees corresponding to the period-based
flat rate fee and the specific fee per click in the entire
advertising fee. Here, the administrator system may refer to a
system including at least one of the auction system 101, the
advertising system 102, and the charging system 103, or a system
including at least two of the three systems.
[0044] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an advertising method,
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The
advertising method may be performed through the advertising system
102, which has been described with reference to FIG. 1. In FIG. 4,
the advertising method will be described by describing each
operation by the advertising system 102.
[0045] Operation S401 may correspond to the auction method
described with reference to FIG. 2, and may be performed through
the auction system 101 described with reference to FIG. 1. In
operation S401, the auction system 101 may verify a bid price per
click and a period-based bid price, which may be input from at
least one advertiser, and may determine an advertisement exposure
priority with respect to the advertisement of the advertiser, based
on the bid price per click and the period-based bid price. The
determination process of the advertisement exposure priority has
been described in detail with reference to FIG. 2, and accordingly,
a further description will be omitted.
[0046] In operation S402, the advertising system 102 may verify an
advertisement exposure priority of an advertisement, based on a bid
price per click and a period-based bid price, which may be input by
the advertiser. As aforementioned, the advertisement exposure
priority may correspond to information regarding which
advertisement exposure region an advertisement may be exposed
through, among a plurality of advertisement exposure regions
included on a single web page. When the input bid price per click
and the period-based bid price are determined to be the highest
input, the advertisement is assigned to the highest priority and is
displayed at an uppermost position of the advertisement exposure
region by the auction system 101, in operation S401. Then the
advertising system 102 may verify the determined advertisement
exposure priority.
[0047] In operation S403, the advertising system 102 may display
the advertisement during a time period corresponding to the
period-based bid price, in an advertisement exposure region,
depending on the verified advertisement exposure priority. For
example, the advertising system 102 may assign an advertisement to
one of five exposure regions according to the priority thereof.
When the advertisement exposure priority of an advertisement is the
third priority, the advertisement may be displayed in the third
advertisement exposure region, for example. The display of the
advertisement may be performed by setting a link to a document
corresponding to the advertisement, in a corresponding
advertisement exposure region of the web page. The document may be
provided to a user when the link is clicked on by the user.
[0048] Also, the advertising fee may be calculated based on the bid
price per click, a number of actual clicks during the time period,
and the period-based bid price. That is, the advertising fee may be
calculated based on both the bid price per click and the
period-based bid price, thereby reducing uncertainty which may
occur due to a variation in the number of clicks, and also
calculating the advertising fee depending on an advertising effect.
For example, a number of clicks during the time period is predicted
with respect to the advertisement exposure region, however, the
number of clicks which may actually occur may be far different from
the predicted number of clicks. Thus, the advertiser may need to
pay an advertising fee much greater than expected. Accordingly, the
advertising fee may be calculated based on the bid price per click,
the number of clicks, and the period-based bid price, thereby
reducing the pricing uncertainty.
[0049] The advertising fee may be calculated based on a specific
fee per click determined based on the bid price per click and the
number of clicks, a period-based flat rate fee determined based on
the period-based bid price, and a weight for each fee determined by
the advertiser. The weight for each fee may be set by an
advertiser, as described above.
[0050] Operation S404 may correspond to the charging method
depending on the exposure of the advertisement, and may be
performed through the charging system 103, which has been described
with reference to FIG. 1. In operation S404, the charging system
103 may verify a bid price per click, a period-based bid price of
an advertisement exposed through an advertisement exposure region,
and a number of actual clicks during a time period corresponding to
the period-based bid price. The charging system 103 may calculate
an advertising fee depending on the exposure of the advertisement,
which is based on the bid price per click, the number of clicks,
and the period-based bid price.
[0051] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the
advertising system 102 according to an embodiment of the present
invention. The advertising system 102 may include an advertisement
exposure priority verification unit 501, and an advertisement
exposure unit 502.
[0052] The advertisement exposure priority verification unit 501
may verify an advertisement exposure priority of an advertisement
of an advertiser, based on a bid price per click, and a
period-based bid price, which may be input from the advertiser.
When the bid price per click and the period-based bid price are the
highest input, the advertisement is assigned the highest priority
and displayed in an uppermost position of the advertisement
exposure region of the web page, by the auction system 101, in
operation S401. then the advertising system 102 may verify the
determined advertisement exposure priority.
[0053] The advertisement exposure unit 502 may display the
advertisement of the advertiser during a time period corresponding
to the period-based bid price, in an advertisement exposure region
depending on the verified advertisement exposure priority. For
example, the advertisement exposure unit 502 may display an
advertisement in one of five different exposure regions, according
to one of five assignable priorities. When the advertisement
exposure priority of an advertisement is the third priority, the
advertisement may be displayed in the third advertisement exposure
region corresponding to the third priority. The display of the
advertisement may be performed by displaying a link to a document
corresponding to the advertisement in a corresponding advertisement
exposure region of the web page.
[0054] Also, the advertising fee depending on the exposure of the
advertisement may be calculated based on the bid price per click, a
number of clicks which may actually occur during the time period,
and the period-based bid price. That is, the advertising fee may be
calculated based on the bid price per click and the period-based
bid price, thereby reducing pricing uncertainty. Accordingly, the
advertising fee may be calculated based on the bid price per click,
the number of clicks, and the period-based bid price, thereby
reducing the pricing uncertainty, which may occur according to the
flexibility of the number of clicks.
[0055] The advertising fee may be calculated based on a specific
fee per click determined based on the bid price per click and the
number of clicks, a period-based flat rate fee determined based on
the period-based bid price, and a weight for each fee determined by
the advertiser. The weight for each fee may include a ratio between
the specific fee per click in the advertising fee and the
period-based flat rate fee. That is, various charging policies
which may satisfy a request of an advertiser may be implemented by
calculating the advertising fee based on a ratio between the
period-based flat rate fee and the specific fee per click.
[0056] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a charging method,
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The
charging method may be performed through the charging system 103,
which has been described with reference to FIG. 1. In FIG. 6, the
charging method will be described by describing each operation by
the charging system 103.
[0057] Operations S601 and S602 may be respectively performed by
the auction system 101, and the advertising system 102. In
operation S601, the auction system 101 may verify a bid price per
click and a period-based bid price, which may be input from at
least one advertiser, and may determine an advertisement exposure
priority, based on the bid price per click and the period-based bid
price. In operation S602, the advertising system 102 may verify an
advertisement exposure priority, based on a bid price per click and
a period-based bid price, which may be input by the advertiser. The
advertising system 102 may display the advertisement during a time
period corresponding to the period-based bid price, in an
advertisement exposure region and depending on the verified
advertisement exposure priority. The method of determining the
advertisement exposure priority and exposing the advertisement has
been described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 through 4, and
accordingly, a further description will be omitted.
[0058] In operation S603, the charging system 103 may verify a bid
price per click, and a period-based bid price of an advertisement
exposed through an advertisement exposure region. That is, the
charging system 103 may verify the bid price per click and the
period-based bid price of the advertisement, among the bid price
per click and the period-based bid price which may be input from
the advertiser in operation S601.
[0059] In operation S604, the charging system 103 may verify a
number of clicks which may actually occur with respect to the
advertisement, during a time period corresponding to the
period-based bid price. That is, the charging system 103 may verify
both the bid price per click and the number of actual clicks, and
may calculate a specific fee per click depending on the actual
number of clicks. For example, the charging system 103 may
calculate the specific fee per click by multiplying the bid price
per click and the number of the clicks.
[0060] In operation S605, the charging system 103 may calculate an
advertising fee depending on the exposure of the advertisement,
based on the bid price per click, the number of clicks, and the
period-based bid price. The charging system 103 may calculate the
advertising fee based on a specific fee per click determined based
on the bid price per click and the number of clicks, a period-based
flat rate fee determined based on the period-based bid price, and a
weight for each fee determined. The advertising fee may be
determined by an administrator system in accordance with a request
of the advertiser.
[0061] The weight for each fee may include at least one of a ratio
used to reflect the specific fee per click in the advertising fee,
and a ratio used to reflect the period-based flat rate fee in the
advertising fee. When the weight for each fee is used, portions of
the fees corresponding to a period-based flat rate fee, where an
advertising fee may be verified before displaying the
advertisement, and the specific fee per click, where the
advertising fee may be calculated based on benefits of the
advertisement, may be adjusted to satisfy the request of the
advertiser.
[0062] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the
charging system 103 according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention. The charging system 103 may include a bid price
verification unit 701, a number of clicks verification unit 702,
and an advertising fee calculation unit 703, as illustrated in FIG.
7.
[0063] The bid price verification unit 701 may verify a bid price
per click, and a period-based bid price of an advertisement exposed
through an advertisement exposure region. The bid price
verification unit 701 may verify the bid price per click and the
period-based bid price of the advertisement, among the bid prices
per click and the period-based bid prices input by various
advertisers. The advertisement may refer to an advertisement
displayed in an advertisement exposure region corresponding to an
advertisement exposure priority. The advertisement exposure
priority may be determined based on the bid price per click and the
period-based bid price.
[0064] The number of clicks verification unit 702 may verify an
actual number of clicks on the advertisement during a time period
corresponding to the period-based bid price. The number of clicks
verification unit 702 may verify both the bid price per click and
the actual number of clicks, and may calculate a specific fee per
click depending on the number of clicks which may occur. For
example, the number of clicks verification unit 702 may calculate
the specific fee per click by multiplying the bid price per click
and the number of the clicks.
[0065] The advertising fee calculation unit 703 may calculate an
advertising fee based on the bid price per click, the number of
clicks, and the period-based bid price. The advertising fee
calculation unit 703 may calculate the advertising fee based on a
specific fee per click determined based on the bid price per click
and the number of clicks, a period-based flat rate fee determined
based on the period-based bid price, and a weight for each fee
determined by an administrator system, in accordance with a request
of the advertiser. That is, click number uncertainty may be
reduced. Also, an advertising fee depending on achievements of the
advertisement may be calculated based on the bid price per
click.
[0066] The weight for each fee may include at least one of a ratio
used to reflect the specific fee per click and the period-based
flat rate fee in the advertising fee. When the weight for each fee
determined by the administrator system, in accordance with the
request of the advertiser is used. Portions of the fees
corresponding to a period-based flat rate fee and the specific fee
per click may be adjusted to satisfy the request of the
advertiser.
[0067] FIG. 8 is an example of a table 801 regarding a relationship
among a bid price per click, a period-based bid price, a number of
clicks, and an advertising fee. Each of a first advertiser through
a third advertiser may input a bid price per click, and a
period-based bid price. The auction system 101 may determine
advertisement exposure priorities based on the bid prices per click
and the period-based bid prices. The table 801 may represent an
example in which a final bid price may be calculated by adding up a
specific fee per click, calculated by applying an equal number of
clicks to the verified bid price per clicks, and a period-based
flat rate fee, verified during an equal time period with respect to
the verified period-based bid price. An advertisement of an
advertiser who inputs the highest final bid price may be assigned
the highest advertisement exposure priority. Here, when it is
assumed that the period-based bid prices input by the first
advertiser through the third advertiser may be bid prices with
respect to an equal time period, and the equal number of clicks may
correspond to "5,000", the final bid price of the first advertiser
may be determined to be "360,000 won", the final bid price of the
second advertiser may be determined to be "355,000 won", the final
bid price of the third advertiser may be determined to be "350,000
won." Accordingly, the advertisement exposure priority of the table
801 may be determined.
[0068] In this instance, advertisements of the advertisers may be
exposed through corresponding advertisement exposure regions during
a time period corresponding to the period-based bid price, using
the advertising system 102. In this instance, the charging system
103 may determine advertising fees depending on the display of the
advertisements based on the bid prices per click, the period-based
bid prices, and the number of clicks. For example, the advertising
fee of the first advertiser may be determined by multiplying the
bid price per click and the number of clicks, and then by summing a
result of the multiplication with the period-based bid price, that
is, ("40 won".times."6,000")+"160,000 won"="400,000 won."
[0069] Also, a weight for each fee corresponding to a predetermined
ratio may be applied to the period-based flat rate fee of "160,000
won" determined based on the period-based bid price, or to a
specific fee per click of "40 won.times.6,000" determined based on
the bid price per click, and the number of clicks. For example,
when a weight for each fee of "1.1" is applied to the specific fee
per click, and a weight for each fee of "0.8" is applied to the
period-based flat rate fee, for an advertiser who may desire to
attach a higher importance to the specific fee per click, where an
advertising fee may be determined based on an advertising effect,
the advertising fee of the first advertiser may be calculated by
("40
won".times."6000".times."1.1")+("160,000".times."0.8")="392,000
won." The weight for each fee may be predetermined by an
administrator system, in accordance with a request of the
advertiser, before displaying the advertisement.
[0070] When using the auction system, the advertising system, and
the charging system, according to exemplary embodiments of the
present invention, uncertainty of an advertising fee may be
reduced, by determining an advertisement exposure priority through
an auction using a bid price per click, and a period-based bid
price, and by calculating an advertising fee depending on display
of an exposure of an advertisement through an advertisement
exposure region corresponding to the advertisement exposure
priority, based on both the bid price per click, and the
period-based bid price. Also, various charging policies which may
satisfy a request of an advertiser may be implemented, by adjusting
a ratio between a period-based flat rate fee determined based on
the period-based bid price, and a specific fee per click determined
based on the bid price per click and the number of clicks.
[0071] According to embodiments of the present invention, charging
with respect to display of an advertisement may also be possible,
in addition to charging with respect to clicks of an advertisement.
The charging depending on the display may be performed through an
equivalent configuration, using a bid price per display instead of
the bid price per click, a number of displays instead of the number
of clicks, and a specific fee per display instead of the specific
fee per click. As such, a duplicated description will be omitted.
In this case, uncertainty of an advertising fee according to
flexibility of a number of exposures may be reduced.
[0072] The exemplary embodiments according to the present invention
may be recorded in non-transitory computer-readable media including
program instructions to implement various operations embodied by a
computer. The media may also include, alone or in combination with
the program instructions, data files, data structures, and the
like. The media and program instructions may be those specially
designed and constructed for the purposes of the present invention,
or they may be of the kind well-known and available to those having
skill in the computer software arts. Examples of computer-readable
media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and
magnetic tape; optical media such as CD ROM discs and DVD;
magneto-optical media such as optical discs; and hardware devices
that are specially configured to store and perform program
instructions, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory
(RAM), flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions
include both machine code, such as produced by a compiler, and
files containing higher level code that may be executed by the
computer using an interpreter. The described hardware devices may
be configured to act as one or more software modules in order to
perform the operations of the above-described embodiments of the
present invention.
[0073] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various
modifications and variation can be made in the present invention
without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus,
it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications
and variations of this invention provided they come within the
scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *